Although a decorative skull might not be to everyone’s liking, the more I looked into this celebration in which time is set aside to remember the passing of past relatives and friends the more I like what it represents. Halloween, seems to have all the lime-light and not one word is ever really utter at the sights of skulls piled in heaps on the porch, skeletons hanging from trees or black witches riding brooms, a large portion of the Latin American regions celebrate the ‘Day of the Dead’.
As I investigated the Day, I was surprised to learn the Day of the Dead is a holiday that is celebrated annually on November 1 & 2 to honour and remember those who have passed on. The holiday resembles All Saints Day and All Souls Day, which are celebrated after Halloween on the Christian calendar.
It was the Aztec who first began observing this occasion more than 3000 years ago, and their ultimate goal was to honour and celebrate the deceased as their spirits returned. While it is definitely still a time of reflection and remembrance, the main focus is to celebrate the lives that our loved ones lived and what better way than with beautiful highly coloured flowers. The main flower was the marigold which represents the fragility of life and it seems only natural that they are used to honour those that have passed on to the next chapter of life.
I’ve chosen to create a wreath because the wreath represents a circle of continuing never ending life.
If we are to dig into history, I think it is worth mentioning that the Druids started what we know as Halloween. This time in their history (the end of harvest and start of winter), was often fraught with darkness and death and to keep the old or feared dead or evil spirits away, decorative skull like masks and fire was used to scare them off. As time marched on and the Christians wanted to stamp out pagan festivals, days or dates were moved ever so slightly and replaced with All Saints Day and All Souls Day.
Things to gather:
- Skulls – I found really cheap plastic ones which I decorated using Décor Transfer.
- Floral dress applique patches which I further embellish with shiny gems.
- You will also need a foam wreath frame in a size desired.
- Heaps and heaps of brightly coloured marigolds, sunflowers etc
- Little sunflower seed lights - optional!
- I also used a faux concrete footed round cake stand to rest the completed wreath
- A candle stand to rest the decorative skull. This helps to achieve further
elevation.
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